Sunday, September 19, 2010

Autumnal DC

And so it begins. Fall, I mean. The signs are there, if you look for them. A few leaves here and there are turning yellow.

The gardens along East Capitol are looking slightly rasty, no matter how well cared for they are. Even the trees who have not yet started to pull the chlorophyll back into their trunks are looking exhausted and droopy. Trees get dull right before they turn colors. Only the ragweed is really going to town at this point. Summer has definitely worn itself out.

One thing that happens at the very beginning of the midatlantic autumn is that the bugs get really fierce. They clearly understand their time is limited. Honestly the mosquitoes actually stalk and chase me around the front yard, so desperate are they for blood. Ordinarily they mostly leave me alone, but not in September. Whew. Also there are autumnal bug invasions into our human homes. Ant attacks, creepy little brown bugs, crickets. Ewwww!

There are bugs that I actually enjoy, should say. Early fall is butterfly/moth season. What's not to love about a butterfly, c'mon? Best bugs ever! The monarch migration has been incredible this year. I've seen so many monarchs! Wow. Also I've noticed more than the usual number of big black butterflies, the loopy white and yellow ones, too.

Butterflies are so ephemeral. I read somewhere that after all the time spent as a pupae (what could be worse?) then crawling around as a lowly caterpillar, when they finally emerge from their cocoons, they live about a week. It hardly seems fair.

Summer is done, the HHD are done. Now we begin the season of harvest and feasting, my very favorite time of year. At last!

reya - there's a subtle shifting downwards and inwards in terms of temperature and leaves and the place warm mammals and chlorophyll are spending more of their time. this is my favourite transition of the seasons. it carries the rich wistfulness of summer - well lived or not - into the more internal experiencing that autumn provides. perhaps it's that reflective glide i like so much. steven

Even my indoor ficus is turning- it is most certainly autumn.so many shiny surfaces where you live- reflections that bowl me over! You have such a good eye for composition and unusual perspective...you are art!

Thanks Reya. Interesting to see your thoughts. You know in TCM and five element theory, this "in between time" would be moving from our heart to our pancreas/spleen before moving to our lungs for the Fall. So even though thr region in our stomach area doesn't have a whole season of its own like the other primary organs, we're just about smack dab in the middle of our stomachs or Earth or yellow or worry by time of season. But we're also about to move into our lungs, metal, white, grief (to release grief) seasonally, and what has become the favorite season for many of us. Taken together with the extraordinary circumstances, in terms of what seems to be strangely phenomenal, of the times we're in (election season of bizarre issues in advance of next year's presidential run--the coming to a head of environmental waking upness--financial boogeymanness, etc), and it is easy to ask, "Wow, do you feel that?"

Steven I want to make a book of your comments here. YES the slight shift inwards and downwards. yes yes!

Linda Sue THANK YOU! Coming from you that means a lot! Wow. Come to DC and visit sometime, we'll walk around together and take pics. Don't come during the summer though. If you have doubts about that, ask Tom.

Love Sukkot. Everybody celebrates the autumnal harvest with a big feast, though we call it different things, it's all the same, yes?